You can now add ASL stickers to your messages using the Gboard app!

Google recently announced that with the design help from Phonak hEARo Jessica Flores, they were able to create American Sign Language (ASL) stickers!

Nowadays emojis and gifs, serve as text enhancements and are a large part of online communication. The deaf and hard of hearing community often doesn’t receive proper representation in online and text trends. While we are still waiting for hearing aid and more ASL emojis to come around, Google is stepping up by creating beautiful animations with the help of Flores, a deaf artist.

Google explains that these stickers are some of the few that hold a deeper meaning. They are more than just cute or fun stickers to use when messaging.

“Unlike other Gboard stickers that are mostly decorative, the ASL ones convey a message. Each sticker comprises an anthropomorphic phrase, complete with a face and two hands, that signs the phrase it embodies,” says Engadget writer, Nicole Lee.

The stickers were made so both deaf and hearing communities would understand the message.

Partnering with Phonak hEARo Jessica Flores

Ryan Sand the art director for Google’s expressions team knew that in order to make a pack of ASL stickers his team would need the guidance of a deaf artist.

“ASL is its own language, and it’s especially visual,” said Sand to Engadget. “We thought an animated sticker set would be a really exciting way to raise awareness for ASL, and deaf and hard-of-hearing users can see themselves in the stickers.”

Wanting to hire a local San Fransico artist, the team came across Flores’ application and instantly admired her passion for deaf awareness and art.

“We work really closely with artists to make authentic stickers, so that if you’re a user, you’ll find the stickers speak to you.” said Sand. “That’s one of the reasons Jessica was such an awesome fit for the program.”

Flores worked with animator Juliane Chen to create meaningful stickers for the deaf community. She wanted to be sure that the stickers could spread deaf awareness in addition to providing the deaf community stickers in their language. In an interview with Sand, Flores explained what she was envisioning while creating the stickers.

“I realized I wanted a sticker set that would help spread Deaf awareness and expose American Sign Language to more people, even just a little bit,” Flores told Sand. “I knew that if we designed a character for the stickers who signed, only those who knew ASL would know what the signs meant, and those who didn’t know ASL might end up ignoring the set completely.”

“I realized I wanted a sticker set that would help spread Deaf awareness and expose American Sign Language to more people, even just a little bit.”

This is especially important to Flores because she grew up deaf, but she wasn’t exposed to ASL and the Deaf community until she was older. Deaf isolation is common, but awareness through creative ways, such as stickers, can help change this.

“When I learned ASL a few years ago, my world changed 180,” says Flores. “Because I finally found a way to understand the other side of the conversation. The side that I was missing out on my entire life. I finally understood what CLEAR communication was. Not part of the conversation, not half of the conversation, the FULL conversation! Sign Language really saved me. I seriously don’t know where I’d be without it.”

Flores hopes that others will take interest in ASL and use it as a communication tool if they are deaf or hard of hearing.

“My hope for these stickers is that it encourages people to go learn some sign language so we can all start clearly communicating with one another,” Flores says. “Also, if ever you bump into me in the future, and you’ve been learning ASL, even if it is just a little bit, come say hello! It would mean the world to me!”

“My hope for these stickers is that it encourages people to go learn some sign language so we can all start clearly communicating with one another.””

Others in the deaf community are also very excited about the news.

In sign language, a simple change in facial expression or body language can change a sign’s meaning completely. Just like how a tone of someone’s voice will allow you to figure out if they are mad or if they’re just asking you a question. —@LimeMoney 🤟💕 https://t.co/CItcPJaSRIpic.twitter.com/R7eJgkInfe

Kirsten is the managing editor of Hearing Like Me. She has a moderate hearing loss and currently wears Phonak Audéo B-R rechargeable hearing aids.Outside of working for Hearing Like Me, she can be found exploring new cities, trying out new recipes in her kitchen, or hiking. She loves learning about different cultures and languages.